Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Frozen Elephant in the Room

We Minnesotans love to talk about the weather. We can't help ourselves; it's genetic. Nearly every one of our regular customers makes a weather-related comment when they come in the store; it's almost as automatic as "hello":

"Looks like rain. Boy, we sure need it."
"How much snow (or rain) did we get last night?"
"When is that wind gonna quit?"
"Sure is muggy out."
"What did your thermometer say this morning?"
"Cold (or hot) enough for ya?"

This last comment is probably most frequently heard, and usually elicits a smile, if not a chuckle. We heard it a lot when we were first introduced to the Polar Vortex back in December. As denizens of the Northwoods, we are used to shrugging off the cold, making jokes, laughing at Old Man Winter and then putting on another layer and going about our business.

But now, three months on, nobody is laughing. And nobody wants to talk about the weather.

After 78 of the last 90 days with a low below zero, we have nothing left to say. Old Man Winter slaps us again and again as we go out the door in the morning, and we don't have a comeback. We want to spit in his eye, but we're out of spit.

So now when our customers come in, the conversation is brief. We won't bring up the weather now until it changes for the better, when we can be certain the below-zero stuff is behind us. No one dares mention Spring - it's just too soon. Nope, not going there yet.

Authors note: I promise no more posts about winter! At least not until we can get excited about it again.

About Us

Mike and Melinda purchased the Emmaville Store in November 2010 and reopened for business in January 2011. The store has been in existence over 70 years and is the last remnant of the town of Emmaville, which dates back to the logging days (1900-1910) in northern Minnesota.
This blog is a collection of stories about our efforts to get the store reopened and get to know the folks in the surrounding area. Ultimately, the blog is about creating and sustaining community.